Forwards are usually the players that get fans through the turnstiles, with their incredible eye for goal and licence to thrill making them one of the most valuable parts of any side.
The other departments of the ground can work their collective backsides off to get the ball to a scoring position, but if a team doesn't possess the personnel to hit the scoreboard then all their efforts will be in vain.
A good forward-line doesn't necessarily need to be stacked with key forwards - as Richmond in 2017 displayed - with the right game style suiting smalls who feed off packs to kick crafty majors and perform the heavy lifting of a tall.
With under a month left until the first round of the 2022 season kicks off, it's time to reflect on which forward lines are ranked. Here's part two of our series, ranking clubs from 12th-7th for their list of forwards.
Every AFL club’s forward line ranked: Part I
1. (12) Carlton
Outside of one man and one man only, the Blues forward line lacks the personnel to deliver what fans so desperately crave - a premiership.
The man in question is Harry McKay, with the competition's best forward last year accounting for a huge amount of his club's goalscoring output, with the 23-year-old finishing with 58 goals for the year.
Forward
Disposals
Marks
Goals
Charlie Curnow will be ready to fire for season 2022 after over a year on the sidelines through injury and will be expected to help shift some of the load off of McKay's shoulders over the course of the year.
Zac Fisher, Jack Martin, Josh Honey and new draftee Jesse Motlop will try to collectively fill the void left by club great Eddie Betts after the enigmatic forward managed to boot 27 goals in his final campaign for the Blues in 2021.
Jack Silvagni had an emotional 2021 but will keep his role across half-forward that he called home for the 15 games he appeared in last year.
Matt Owies and Lachlan Fogarty should deputise should any of the Blues' first-choice forwards be dropped, with Michael Voss' small forward stocks well and truly replenished in the lead up to Round 1.
